Elizabeth Anne Rugato, a Wakefield High School graduate who ran her own bookkeeping business and lived in Wakefield for more than sixty years, passed away on July 28 after a long illness. She was 82. Ms. Rugato, know to her friends and family as Betty, was born in Boston on Jun. 30, 1929 to parents Edgar & Myrtle (Lockhart) Eklund and spent her early years in Lynnfield. She then moved to Wakefield and attended Wakefield High School, where she graduated from in 1947. Ms. Rugato married the late Michael J. Rugato right out of high school and had three children. The couple ended up divorcing a …

Walter V. Maloney, Jr., who served as Wakefield Fire Chief for 22 years, and a firefighter for 44 years, died on Friday, August 5 as a result of pancreatic cancer. He was 83. Born in Melrose on August 9, 1927, Chief Maloney was the son of the late Walter V. and Helen (Tabot) Maloney. He went on to graduate from Wakefield High School in 1945, and attended North Shore Community College. Chief Maloney served in the U.S. Navy and was stationed aboard the U.S.S. Tarawa, an aircraft carrier, during World War II. Chief Maloney served as a firefighter in Wakefield for 44 years, with 22 of those years…

Walter V. Maloney, Jr., who served as Wakefield Fire Chief for 22 years, and a firefighter for 44 years, died on Friday, August 5 as a result of pancreatic cancer. He was 83. Born in Melrose on August 9, 1927, Chief Maloney was the son of the late Walter V. and Helen (Tabot) Maloney. He went on to graduate from Wakefield High School in 1945, and attended North Shore Community College.Chief Maloney served in the U.S. Navy and was stationed aboard the U.S.S. Tarawa, an aircraft carrier, during World War II. Legacy at the Wakefield Fire DepartmentChief Maloney served as a firefighter in …

Deborah Somers, a Wakefield resident, loving wife and dedicated mother of four died on July 25th, 11 months after she was diagnosed with cancer. She was 65. A warm personality who lit up a room with her presence, her daughter said Mrs. Somers was known by her friends as a giving, generous person.  “Right when you met her, you were her friend right away,” said her daughter Jennifer Moon of Wakefield. Mrs. Somers was born on July 5, 1945 and attended Chapel Hill High School before preceding to the Western College for Women in Ohio, which is now Miami College of Ohio. Mrs. Somers worked for …

Marceline Frotten always understood the importance of family. Whether it was her own five children, one of her seven grandchildren or one of their eight kids, the longtime Wakefield resident always made sure to include everyone in the familial festivities. “My mom was such a good person and so well liked,” said her son, Robert Frotten of Easton. “She really was the center of our family. She was also very fond of friends, she would invite them over to have dinner at our house all the time. She was very inspiring that way. She reached out to friends, and she was also very good at including …

Michelle Murphy, a resident of Wakefield, passed away in her home on May 23 after a lifelong battle with cystic fibrosis. She was 38. Murphy’s family members described her as an outgoing girl with a bubbly personality, saying that she was exceptionally strong and positive, especially considering the hardship she faced throughout her life. “She was such a strong girl, I don’t think anybody could have been like her because she always had a smile on her face,” said Carol Murphy, Michelle’s stepmother. “She always had a positive outlook and she was always there for her family and friends if they …

Frank “Sonny” Serafini Sr., a self-made entrepreneur and a longtime resident of Wakefield, passed away at his home on May 18 due to complications from surgery. He was 81. His son, Frank Serafini Jr., of Westford, described Sonny as a businessman who had a warm-hearted soul and helped a lot of people. “He was very outgoing, very friendly, big heart, very big heart, he helped many many people,” Serafini said. “You just had to listen to his stories, and he had dozens.” One particular story that Sonny liked to tell dated back to his days in the music industry, when he supposedly helped Tina …

If there was one thing Robert C. Trudeau of Wakefield loved most, it was his family – his wife Ann, his sons Paul and Craig, his daughter Michele, and their spouses and children. “His home, his wife, and his kids, that’s what he wanted around him,” said his son, Paul Trudeau of Wakefield. “And his three grandchildren, Tess, Isabella, Will. When they would walk in he would light up - that was his center.” Robert C. Trudeau, a family man who was married to his wife Ann for 59 years, taught in Melrose for 38, and lived in Wakefield for 25 years, passed away on May 10 due to a heart problem. He …

Jack Layton, a soft-spoken and caring older brother to four siblings and a longtime Wakfield resident, passed away on May 2 at Melrose/Wakefield Hospital from a sudden illness. He was 53.  His sibling said Layton was a caring brother to them as they were growing up. Joyce Ebrecht, of Wakefied, remembers how her brother helped raise her, almost as if he was a father due in part to the seven year age gap between the two. “We were in different times in our lives (growing up),” said Ebrecht. “He was my brother, but he was almost like a caregiver for me.” Immediately after he graduated from …

While he may have spent the last few years of his life in Stoneham, Richard Anzalone was a longtime Wakefield resident who was a regular at St. Joseph's Church. Anzalone died earlier this month at the Woburn Nursing Center. He was 83. Mr. Anzalone, who was born on July 28, 1927, grew up in the area and came of age shortly after World War II. He attended Malden Catholic High School and Burdett School of Business.Although it would be too late for him to serve in World War I, he was a switch board operator and medic for the Army in Korea, rising to the rank of a Technician Fifth Grade. Although …

Thomas P. Butler, a lifelong Wakefield resident, a dedicated town employee for 36 years who held positions as executive secretary and town administrator, and an avid Boston sports fan, died suddenly on April 30. He was 65. Mr. Butler was most well-known in Wakefield for serving as executive secretary in the early 1990s then as town administrator until 2008 when the town charter changed in the late 90s. “If you look up ‘Mr. Wakefield’ in the dictionary, you’d see his photo there,” said Chief Richard Smith of the Wakefield Police Department, who was a close friend of Butler. “He had his finger …